Join the award-winning Sheep’s Head & Bantry Tourism Co-operative and support our campaign to promote responsible tourism along the route of West Cork’s Sheep’s Head Way

Why Join the Sheep’s Head & Bantry Co-op?

The promotion of our area as a complete entity makes it easy for tourists to appreciate the benefits of a visit and the delights of “living the Sheep’s Head Way”: it joins together the things we offer as separate businesses into a coherent offering and tells a story no one business can tell on its own (the Crafty Tour of the Sheep’s Head is an example of this strategy at work). We’re also able to work much more effectively with Fáilte Ireland on developing Wild Atlantic Way experiences and promoting them to potential visitors and tour operators.

Our focus is on helping to develop sustainable tourism businesses that benefit our community, safeguard our environment, and create truly memorable experiences for visitors. You can see our responsible tourism policy here.

We’ve achieved a lot so far, but there’s still lots to do … We’d be delighted to have your support.

Membership benefits include:

* Listing on our website (+ see conditions for this benefit below) for your business, packages and events (c.26,000 visits per year).
* Tips, news and advice shared via a regular “members only” newsletter.
* Increased exposure for your business via our marketing co-ordinator’s work with Fáilte Ireland, our fellow EDEN destinations, Cruise West Cork, and other regional, national and international initiatives.
* Organisation and coordination of press tours (We had German and Belgian press trips last year generating very valuable coverage and had a delegation of 20 EU observers visiting in September 2017).
* Practical marketing support for initiatives that stand to benefit multiple co-op businesses (This year we are representing you at the Irish Tour Operators Association event and Meitheal – Ireland’s largest inbound tour operator event).
* Destination promotion via our website and social media campaigns on Facebook, Twitter & elsewhere.
* Brochures
* Destination promotion through regular public newsletters & the maintenance of an up-to-date events calendar.
* *Members can now add up to 6 photos to their listing*
* Membership Window Sticker.

New Memberships will expire on 31st January 2019.

In the last year, funds covered a contract for 10 hours of marketing & website support each week from Siobhán Burke of Wordhoard Communications; brochure printing and development, and participation in trade and tourism events. The marketing support we engaged enabled us to provide the services above and to secure press coverage in Ireland and abroad, as well as a number of prestigious awards.

We’re hugely grateful to our committee members and member businesses for the considerable amount of voluntary support we’ve received since the co-op began work in September 2013. We are also grateful for the outstanding support we have received from the West Cork Development Partnership and Cork County Council. We will be using our subscription base to bolster funding applications we plan to make for ongoing support to keep our campaign going into the future.

You are welcome to join the co-op as a business member, or as an associate member – a kind of local tourism ambassador! We’d be delighted to have your support.

+Please note that due to restrictions on our funding terms, accommodation that is not approved by Fáilte Ireland cannot be listed directly on our website at https://livingthesheepsheadway.com, and is listed instead at http://westcorkholidayaccommodation.com

Join Offline

If you’d rather join ‘offline’, you should fill out our membership form and send it with a cheque for €100 to the Sheep’s Head & Bantry Tourism Cooperative (made out to that organisation), c/o Crocon Engineers, 4 Main Street, Town Lots, Bantry, Co. Cork.

Online banking payments can be made to:
BIC AIBKIE2D
IBAN: IE18AIBK93601414365026

Please indicate your name and business name clearly in your bank transfer transaction.
We will issue invoices by email within one week.

If you have any questions at all, please contact Siobhán on 086 303 0991.

AGM

We will hold an annual AGM at the Philips Green Centre, Durrus, Co. Cork to which all are welcome! Subscriptions can be renewed or begun at this event or at any other time.
Thanks so much for your support.

West Cork’s Sheep’s Head Way made its presence felt at the inaugural Irish Tourism Industry Awards with a string of special accolades going to members of its tourism co-operative.

The national awards were presented in twelve categories, and Guinness topped the Best Leisure Tourism Innovation category in which the Sheep’s Head’s & Bantry Tourism Co-operative was shortlisted. However, the judges – including travel journalist Pól Ó Conghaile and representatives of Primark and Google – went on to award one of just three special judges citations to the co-op for its outstanding work on its “Living the Sheep’s Head Way” promotional campaign.

The co-op represents almost 100 tourism-focused businesses along the 88km Sheep’s Head Way walking route which runs from the historic harbour town of Bantry out to the tip of West Cork’s Sheep’s Head peninsula, and then back inland towards Gougane Barra. ‘It’s really wonderful to have the hard work of the co-op and its members acknowledged in a competition where we were up against over 330 of the country’s finest tourism initiatives,’ said co-op chair John Tobin. ‘A further two co-op businesses were also rewarded on the night which is fantastic for West Cork.’

David and Elizabeth Ross won a special judges citation for the Top of the Rock Pod Páirc & Walking Centre, their glamping site and walking business in Drimoleague. Meanwhile, a brand new West Cork business Shoeniversity won a bursary in recognition of the exciting work it is doing in offering shoemaking courses in the stunning setting of Bantry House.

‘Between us, we made quite an impression on the awards’ says Siobhán Burke, the co-op’s marketing co-ordinator. ‘And we were delighted to accept the accolade on behalf of the Sheep’s Head Way, not least because it is a huge tribute to what was achieved by the walk’s founders and the landowners who supported them when the Sheep’s Head Way was created in the late 1990s.’

‘The late Tom Whitty, along with Jim Leonard and James O’Mahony, set us a powerful example of what can be achieved when people collaborate,’ she added. ‘Their imaginative, community-led approach was recognised when the Sheep’s Head was designated as a European Destination of Excellence for sustainable tourism in 2009, and everything we’re doing now continues to be inspired by their example.’

‘One of the great things about this latest award is that it shows that the kind of responsible tourism represented by the Sheep’s Head Way is great tourism by any standards.’

‘Our members are investing a huge amount of time and effort into making the area a landmark destination on the remarkable Wild Atlantic Way, and with the boost we’ve had from this award, we’re looking forward to a very successful summer.’

The award is yet another accolade for ‘Living the Sheep’s Head Way’, which has been supported by both the West Cork Development Partnership and Cork County Council. The Sheep’s Head won Silver in the ‘Best Responsible Destination’ category at the Irish Responsible Tourism Awards in March, and was also named as ‘Best Destination of the Year’ by the prestigious John and Sally McKenna Guides this January.

The Sheep’s Head Way has since been longlisted for the World Responsible Tourism Destination of the Year Award

For more information contact:
Siobhán Burke (086) 303 0991 | [email protected]

Our April Fool’s attempt at ‘acting the Goat’ made a few people realise exactly how much they appreciate the Sheep’s Head Way

West Cork’s famous Sheep’s Head Way walking route is set to rebrand as the Goat’s Head Way in a bold move to attract more tourist visitors.

‘We’ve been promoting the Sheep’s Head Way since the late 1990s,’ explained Siobhán Burke, the marketing co-ordinator of the local tourism association, currently known as the Sheep’s Head & Bantry Tourism Co-operative.

‘The whole sheep thing worked well for a long time, but it’s time for a change and the sheep have to go. The problem is that sheep are a bit passive and prone to following the crowd. They don’t really reflect the kinds of active visitors who enjoy the walking and cycle networks on our unspoilt peninsula.’

‘The dynamic, independent character of your average goat – energetic, enthusiastic, and keen to head off the beaten track – is a much better fit with what we have to offer, and with the brand values of the Wild Atlantic Way.’

Tourists’ interest in value for money also influenced the change, she noted. ‘Research shows that West Cork offers tourists great value for money,’ explains the marketing co-ordinator, ‘but people won’t come here if they think they’re going to be fleeced. It’s time to change our message to better reflect what it’s really like to take a holiday in our part of the world.’

‘The move hasn’t come from nowhere. We already have the Goat’s Path on the north side of the peninsula offering stunning views over Bantry Bay and the Beara peninsula,’ she added. ‘We did hesitate about separating the sheep from the goats, but it’s what we’ll have to do to establish ourselves as the premiere destination on the Wild Atlantic Way.’

While some locals have welcomed the bold move, others are said to be deeply unhappy with the proposed change. Organisers of the upcoming Sheep’s Head Yarn Festival, due to be held this May, are among those who have expressed shock at the development.

Proponents of the change remain unmoved, however.

‘Lots of people have complained that we shouldn’t mess with the well-loved and respected image of the Sheep’s Head Way just for the sake of it,’ admitted a spokesperson, ‘and it has served us brilliantly since the 1990s. But frankly, if you can’t see that the Goat’s Head Way is the way forward, you’re just kidding yourself.’

Final sign-off on the controversial change is expected after April 1st.